US lawmakers from both the Republican and Democratic parties are again pushing for the Biden administration to send long-range munitions to Ukraine as Kyiv's long-awaited counteroffensive appears to have begun.
This is reported by Politico.
With a range of more than 300 kilometers, nearly four times the range of Ukraine's existing missiles, the Army Tactical Missile System (ATACMS) has been the subject of intense debate for many months.
Almost a year ago, National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan feared that sending the ATACMS could escalate the conflict into World War III because Ukraine could use the weapon to launch attacks deep into Russian territory.
But in recent weeks, the administration's opposition to the arms shipment has shown signs of weakening. President Joe Biden himself recently made it clear that he might be open to sending ATACMS. Asked whether Washington might agree to provide the missiles, the president said in late May that the possibility was "still in play." A White House spokesman later said the administration's policy had not changed.
Now a group of House members led by lawmaker Jason Crowe is stepping up the pressure. In a letter to Biden on Thursday, 10 Republican and Democratic lawmakers urged the president to give ATACMS the green light as soon as possible.
"The war in Ukraine has turned into a conflict of attrition. We can and must help break this impasse. By quickly providing these additional capabilities to Ukrainian forces, we can significantly increase their chances of victory, restore peace in Europe, and ensure a more stable and prosperous world." , the legislators wrote.
Proponents of sending ATACMS say that because they fire highly mobile artillery missile systems already deployed to Ukraine, they do not require lengthy training and/or logistical chains and can be deployed immediately.
The letter also calls on the president to approve other modern weapons, including American-made F-16 fighter jets and additional air defenses, such as another Patriot missile defense system. They are also urging him to speed up the transfer of American M1 Abrams tanks, which are expected to arrive in Ukraine by the end of the year.
U.S. officials have become less concerned that sending more advanced weapons could escalate the conflict because Ukraine has repeatedly demonstrated it will not use U.S. equipment to launch strikes on Russian territory, Crowe said.
He admitted that the reluctance to send ATACMS is more related to the Pentagon's fears that the US has a limited number of missiles in its warehouses. But Crowe's counterargument is that it is worth taking a short-term risk and sending ATACMS to help Ukraine win the war.
According to him, the Pentagon's long-term plan is to abandon ATACMS in any case and switch to more advanced missiles that are under development.
It will be recalled that the head of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, called on "those who can" to provide Ukraine with long-range weapons.
